Six moderate House Republicans signed a centrist-led, bipartisan letter vowing to respect the results of the 2024 election.
of “Pledge of Solidarity” announced FridayThe bill is being led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-J.D.) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and has the support of 32 House members.
By signing the letter, the members are agreeing to recognize the winner of the election certified by a joint session of Congress in January 2025 as the legitimate president after “all legal options to challenge the election results in court have been exhausted,” and to attend the presidential inauguration and “[serve] As a voice of peace and reconciliation [speak] “We protest against those who support or engage in violence that harms people, property and public spaces.”
The Republicans who signed the letter with Bacon were Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Lori Chavez Deremer (R-OR), Nick LaLota (R-NY), and Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY). Bacon and Fitzpatrick were the only members of Congress as of January 6, 2021, who did not support objecting to the results of the 2020 election on that day.
Gottheimer said in a statement that the pledge “provides a framework for lawmakers to work together and convey respect for the electoral process, regardless of who wins.”
“Legislators from both parties have a responsibility to demonstrate real leadership and be a voice of calm ahead of this critical election,” Gottheimer said.
Former President Trump's campaign to pressure Congress to overturn the results of the 2020 election escalated to the point where a mob stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the day Congress was scheduled to certify the election results.
Asked at a CNN town hall meeting last year if he would accept the results of the 2024 election, whatever the outcome, Trump replied: “Well, if I feel it was an honest election, then of course I would accept it.”
Democratic lawmakers also formally challenged the election results during Congress' formal election certification process after Republican presidential victories in 2000, 2004 and 2016, but the election results were accepted.
“In America, we respect the results of our elections, especially after the courts and appellate courts have completed their processes,” Bacon said in a statement. “We fight hard during the election to win, and we respect the results once the votes are counted. We are the greatest nation in the world, governed by the rule of law. The people are sovereign and have the right to decide.”
Among the Democrats who signed the letter are Reps. Don Davis (North Carolina), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), and Haley Stevens (Mich.). One signatory, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), is seeking a Senate seat. Two of the signatories will not be in Congress in 2025: Rep. Abigail Spanberger (Va.) is not running for reelection to run for governor in 2025, and Rep. Wiley Nickel (North Carolina) is not running for reelection in his redistricting district.
